1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to optical elements and methods for manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
Optical elements such as surface-emitting type semiconductor lasers, which include a columnar section and an electrode formed thereon, may often have a structure in which the electrode is formed in a closed ring shape in a center area of the upper surface of the columnar section. Such a structure may be described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application JP-A-10-242560. As a method for patterning an electrode in an optical element, for example, a lift-off method is known. According to this method, a resist is formed in a reverse configuration on a substrate surface, a conductive material film is formed on the resist and its open areas, and the resist is then peeled off by a solvent whereby portions of the conductive material deposited on the resist are removed. In this case, if an electrode is to be formed in a ring shape, the resist forms an isolated pattern in the center area of the ring shape. The isolated pattern is difficult to he removed, and even if removed, the conductive material that has been lifted off may be re-adhered, which might possibly damage the reliability of the optical element.